


Tell me

by nightmoonz



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Banter, Bonding, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Found Family, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-11
Updated: 2019-12-11
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:20:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21756685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightmoonz/pseuds/nightmoonz
Summary: Lio, you know about my story with Kray, my friends at Burning Rescue. Would it really kill ya to tell me something about yourself? Something real?Something real, huh? Only for you Galo Thymos, only for you.It's been a couple of months since Lio and Galo moved in together, they're pretty happy in day to day lives. However, there's still so much Galo doesn't know about the man he loves... until one day. One rainy day Galo and Lio are stuck in their apartment and Lio realizes he hasn't told Galo very much, so Lio opens up and tells Galo his story.
Relationships: Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Comments: 2
Kudos: 32
Collections: Yuletide 2019





	Tell me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [labocat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/labocat/gifts).



> Hi Labocat!
> 
> Happy Yule! I loved your and letter!!! I had a lot of fun writing this especially being able to explore Lio's past and point of view. Anyway I hope you like this as much as I did writing it and again Happy Yule but also Happy New Year!!! ♡♡

Lio and Galo had just walked into their cosy one bedroom apartment, and Lio couldn’t be happier. It was winter now and while he was always uncomfortable with the cold it had become so much worse without the Promare. To remedy this, he got under a blanket on their couch and practically sat in Galo’s lap when he came to join Lio.

“So… you never did answer my question.” Galo said, raising his eyebrows and giving Lio the dopey grin that Lio had grown to love so much.

“And just what question was that?” Lio asked in a mock bored tone.

“You know, when we first met—how’re ya the Mad Burnish’s leader when you barely look older than me… actually, how old are you anyway?”

Lio shook his head, smirking. “You never asked that. You simply made an observation that I was 'a kid' which wasn’t even accurate.”

“Ah! Whatever, stop dodging my questions!” Galo said with a hint of exasperation in his voice. “I’m serious Lio! I mean…” Galo trailed off and paused for a moment as if trying to figure out the right words to say. Galo’s smile completely changed; instead of grinning it was awkward and somewhat sullen. “Lio, you know about my story with Kray, my friends at Burning Rescue. Would it really kill ya to tell me something about yourself? Something real? I know you’ve had a lot to deal with… losing the Promare and all, but you haven’t been all that open since we saved the Burnish.”

Lio knew what Galo was talking about. 

They had been living together for a couple months now, and they shared a lot but Lio kept his past more or less secret. It was stupid. Lio knew he could just let go, Galo could be trusted, he proved that—he did so much more than that. Because of him Lio felt warm, he felt safe. But even still everything was all so raw, and a part of him didn’t want to remember. All the people he lost, all the people who had hurt him—hurt them—the Burnish, Guiera and Meis. After all he was just a kid when he inherited his role as the leader of the Mad Burnish.

Back then he had been afraid. None of the Mad Burnish leaders had a long life span… but the Burnish needed them, and when the former leader died they needed him. Without the supposed “terrorist group”, the Burnish would be left completely unprotected. That’s what Lio had grown up with. That was all he’d known. That those who weren’t Burnish were cruel, cruel or ignorant, Lio was still unsure of which was worse.

But Galo isn’t like that. And neither are his friends. They’re not Kray, and this is a brand new world. Lio sighed. “Something real, huh? Only for you Galo Thymos, only for you. Truth is, I inherited the position. The leader before me lasted about five years before they went missing. We're still not sure if they got captured or died. Usually, it's both but sometimes... if they got lucky, they'd die quickly and not..." Lio trailed off. "Leaders of the Mad Burnish didn't last very long.”

“You can say it... the experiments.” Galo spoke in a tone so gentle that made Lio feel like he must have looked terrible regardless it made Lio feel so loved. Lio shook his head, giving Galo a bigger smile than he normally would just to give his blue-haired idiot some peace of mind. Despite Galo’s thickheadedness... Lio knew him to be a kind, accepting and actually a perceptive man. Guiera had once said, ‘he might be stupid but he’s not dumb.’ Lio hadn’t really understood that logic at the time but after Meis explained it, it made sense. 

Galo had listened to Lio about what happened to the Burnish; he didn’t just dismiss the information like so many would have. He listened and then demanded answers from Kray; he needed to know the truth because that was more important. Saving innocent people was more important. 

A small part of Lio wondered if this was even real. No other person he'd come across showed compassion for the Burnish (at least not in his experience). And he was sure that if Galo had been anyone else Kray's crimes would go unchecked, and really you couldn’t say that about a lot of people. It was something Lio had admired in Galo—he fought for the Burnish simply because it was the right thing to do... that was why—more than anything else—why he loved him and why he decided to answer him.

“We guess; it makes the most sense but we’re not sure. We lost many... but to answer your question... that’s how I became the leader. I inherited it from the last one. We do—or, well, did—it's based on strength, how we were able to bend the flames, how—”

“Like into things and stuff?”

Lio laughed. “Yes, but also strength of character. Honestly, when I was younger, I really thought the torch would have passed to Meis or even Guiera. But well... they both wanted it to be me. I guess in the end I took on the role because they were the ones who supported me. I didn't want to let them down especially since they have never let me down. Not once, not ever.”

Galo smiled. “It’s nice to have friends like that. I don’t know where I’d be without them—you know my crew; I mean—and Meis and Guiera do seem like decent dudes—" Galo scowled. "Even if they do call me an idiot.”

“It’s not their fault you are one.”

“Hey!!!”

Lio chuckled. “You know they like you though, right?”

“Oh yeah?” Galo beamed.

“If they didn’t like you, they’d ignore you outright. They think—” Lio let out an exasperated sigh while a flash of heat struck across his face going all the way to the tips of his ears. “They think you take good care of me.”

Galo blinked. “Oh yeah?”

“Yes.”

“Huh, well that’s nice to know—ouuuuu are you blushing?”

“Shut up.”

“Ha! Totally are—so then basically you guys grew up together?”

“Mostly, from about ten or so.”

“And they're the ones I have to thank for your favorite food?” Galo scrunched up his nose.

“How long is this interrogation going to last?" Lio said in a mock irritated tone. Actually the more he opened up to Galo the warmer he felt... it was almost as if he had the Promare back. "Also, what exactly is wrong with kangaroo? Have you even tried it?”

“Yes!! At your birthday party!!! Meis made it remember? I dunno Lio... heck maybe it was the way Meis made it—but it was not good.”

Lio was offended on Meis' behalf. “Meis is the best cook. It’s not our fault your unsophisticated palate couldn’t handle it.”

“My palate couldn’t handle it?! Oh come on that is gamier than deer meat.”

Lio tried and failed to suppress a groan. “Venison. Deer is called—never mind—Anyway that’s what makes it **good.** **_Heathen.”_ **

“Gah! You’re so annoying sometimes, Lio.”

“So are you, and yet, you don’t see me complaining.”

They both smiled at each other and laughed. Lio loved this—he was pretty sure he’d never quite get used to it, though. Being playful—vulnerable even—but slowly, little by little, it was getting easier and decidedly on the healthier side of normal.

“Is that really the reason? You think that tastes good?” 

“It's certainly a part of it."

"Oh?"

"Yes, I like it for the taste but also it tastes like home.”

“But you’re from England? Wouldn’t home taste like tea or whatever?”

“There’s tea in Australia you know.” Lio rolled his eyes for seemingly the umpteenth time. “England was where I was born and where my parents died. So in a way it was never home... Home was with Meis and Guiera. They found me running from the Freeze Force over there and rescued me. If they hadn’t shown up when they did I don’t know where I’d be. We were kids. I’m still not sure how they managed it but they forged a fake passport so we could leave for their home in Australia. They pretended I was their cousin who was just going to stay with them and the rest of the family for a while. We weren’t lying per se, they were taking me to where the Mad Burnish’s HQ was and they were family. Again—” Lio smirked— “we were kids so no one really batted an eye.”

“Whoa! That’s so cool! Wait—so wait, I mean so you three aren’t actually related… right?”

“Galo, I truly love you, but you are so fucking stupid.”

“What! It’s just a question! After all you guys are pretty close and you said family so I dunno!” Galo sputtered incredulously.

“No. It was just our cover—we were just pretending to be related. Get it?”

“Ooooh, got it, got it. So that’s how you all became friends—and they were the ones who showed you how to manipulate your flames into bikes and armor and all that?”

“Yes, they did.” Lio smiled and leaned into Galo as he played with his hair. Something stirred in him and he was flooded with so many happy memories for that brief period of time before his promotion to leader sank in. He remembered how jealous Guiera was when he surpassed him on his fire manipulation skills.

It was always a friendly sort of rivalry though; Guiera openly admitted to how jealous he was but always with a smile and, much to Lio’s displeasure, an affectionate hair ruffle. Meis didn't help things at all either. He had always been quieter than the both of them but dear god he could sass the hell out of them when he wanted to. When it came to becoming the new Burnish leader he hadn’t been interested either. As long as every Burnish was looked after that’s all he cared about. And really that was all the three of them cared about, but for whatever reason, Meis like Guiera placed all his belief in Lio. Lio would be damned if he ever let them down.

Lio smiled and a tear rolled down his cheek. He didn’t have the right words or strength for it—at least not tonight—but someday he’d tell Galo. Lio would tell him how much he truly loved him, because that day with Kray when he had nearly let them down, Galo stood with him and made sure that would never happen.

“Hey Lio?” Galo asked with his voice saturated with concern. “You okay?”

“What?” Lio wiped the tear from his cheek. “Oh, yeah just thinking about everything that's happened. Where I started to where I am now.”

“Oh okay. Hey Lio?”

“Yes Galo?”

“Thanks for telling me.”

Lio smiled, leaned over kissing Galo's cheek “Thank you for listening.”

“Well sure,” Galo captured Lio in a tight hug. “I’m always here to listen ya know?”

“I know Galo, I know.”

After a couple of minutes they eased back against the couch, Galo started playing with Lio’s hair as they turned on the TV to watch something mindless. The pair of them were completely content in snuggling up together in a comfortable silence, once again making Lio ever grateful for his #1 fire fighting idiot.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I also want to give an enormous shoutout to Slumber and Ellieb3an for all of your support and beta-ing I love you guys


End file.
